Garage Brewing (Temecula, CA) has expanded their distribution footprint and nicely revamped their core lineup for this year. I was impressed by their Cherry Top Belgian Stout back in April, which was sort of a cross between a dark cherry sour ale and a sour stout. However, that was a limited release beer in bombers. In terms of what’s regularly available on store shelves, Garage Brewing’s Marshmallow Milk Stout is perhaps their most unique product and is also available in 6-packs of 12oz cans. It is also their best-selling product, I believe.

Into the glass, Marshmallow Milk Stout looks completely opaque black, though it is more of a clear cola brown pouring out of the can. Ample mocha-colored foam surges up and stays put for several minutes. Bringing up the glass, you get an interesting aroma of root beer and cream soda. It smells a bit artificial like vanilla extract has been added.

Dig in and flavors of licorice, cocoa, vanilla, and root beer combine for one interesting experience. However, I don’t get anything specifically that screams marshmallow, which is not surprising since marshmallow is just whipped corn syrup and gelatin with vanilla extract. It’s medium-bodied overall with a nicely creamy mouthfeel. Though milk stouts incorporate unfermentable lactose sugar, Garage’s take is thankfully not sticky sweet or syrupy. In fact, it’s lighter bodied than I imagined for a 7.1% milk stout. There’s some ashy bitterness from the roasted malt that helps balance things out as the bittering hops for this beer are practically nonexistent (only 9 IBUs). A bit of spiciness in the back continues to remind me of root beer. My wife mentioned vanilla ice cream and root beer for a resulting root beer float flavor.

Overall, I can see why Garage’s Marshmallow Milk Stout has become a big hit with their fanbase. It’s relatively easy to drink given its ABV and rewards you with some interesting flavors focused on vanilla and roasted malt. The fundamentals are solid regarding carbonation, sweetness, and mouthfeel. Whether or not you find it to taste like a root beer float or marshmallows by a campfire, it’s a fun dessert beer that works well as the weather cools down. For those new to Garage Brewing, this is a good introduction beer to their core line-up.

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